Updating the state debate over how to quantify how high is too high to drive under the influence of marijuana

File: A motorist produces their driver's license at a DUI checkpoint in Bellflower on March 6, 2014. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department conducted the checkpoint on Alondra Boulevard.

As the state of California works to implement the regulatory framework for its nascent recreational marijuana industry following voters’ approval of Proposition 64, which legalized pot for recreational use statewide, the debate over how exactly to quantify driver impairment from cannabis use continues among law enforcement, legal professionals, marijuana policy experts and academics.

As the state of California works to implement the regulatory framework for its nascent recreational marijuana industry following voters’ approval of Proposition 64, which legalized pot for recreational use statewide, the debate over how exactly to quantify driver impairment from cannabis use continues among law enforcement, legal professionals, marijuana policy experts and academics.

Recently, the California Highway Patrol demoed a new device called the DDS2 that’s being tested in several counties, including Los Angeles.

As part of a broad look at the state’s attempts to find the right way to quantify impairment of drivers under the influence of cannabis, we’ll look at some new tech that’s being tested in several CA law enforcement agencies.

Guests:

Tom Lackey (R-Palmdale), California Assemblyman representing the 36th Assembly District and a 28 year veteran of the California Highway Patrol

Ignacio Hernandez, legislative director for California Attorneys for Criminal Justice, a criminal defense advocacy group based in Sacramento

Fred Delfino, product manager for Alere Toxicology, the company that developed the DDS2 device